*Sleeping Mat - like a
sleeping bag, but waterproof.
*****
Chapter 14
Oz grinned at his husband. Cayson couldn’t
hold still for the life of him, but that was always how Cay had been when he
was excited. Anticipation gave him energy to burn, which as a kid meant
that the hours before a birthday or leaving for a vacation would find him and
Oz, and usually Amrynn, involved in lively games of tag or impromptu races that
Cay tended to initiate. Sleepovers before camping trips always found Oz
and Cay with late night giggles because Cayson would insist on making tents
with the covers and telling crazy stories that never made any sense, but always
had the boys laughing. Those nights were happy memories in Oz’s mind.
Right now, with their departure from the
ship only hours away, Amrynn was doing some last-minute things in the
purification wing, and Cay was with Oz in their stateroom. Cayson had
been in constant motion all morning as he triple checked that they were leaving
nothing necessary behind, read medical journals while he paced, or simply
bounced on his feet if there was nothing else to do.
He was bouncing right now and Oz moved up
behind him, wrapped strong arms around Cay’s waist and lifted his husband off
the ground. Cayson squeaked in surprise and then laughed as Oz teasingly
bounced the way Cay had been doing, only with Cay in his arms.
“Oz!” he laughed. “I get it! I
get it! I’m driving you nuts because I can’t keep still! You can
put me down!”
Oz bounced him another couple times before
letting his husband find his feet and turning Cayson to face him, his arms
still around him.
“You’re not driving me nuts,” he assured
with a tender smile. “But you’re going to use up all your energy before
we even touch Nevean ground.”
“Not possible,” Cay argued as he draped
his arms over Oz’s shoulders. “I’ll still be ready to march ahead tonight
when all the rest of you are collapsed in exhaustion on your sleeping mats.”
Oz slid a hand low enough to cup Cayson’s
backside and his voice had the hint of a growl to it. “You even think
about marching ahead without the rest of us and I’ll make sure you can’t be
still for a whole other reason.”
Cay didn’t doubt that promise, but instead
of feeling threatened, he felt wanted. “Ah, Ozzer, I wouldn’t go anywhere
without you and Rynn,” he said softly but with feeling.
Oz’s head dipped and caught Cay’s lips in
a mind-melting kiss even as his hand lifted and smacked the slightly smaller
man’s bottom hard. Cay yelped in reaction, but neither man broke the kiss
for several more seconds.
When they did pull apart, both sets of
lips were red and pleasantly swollen, but Cayson’s lower one slipped out in an
exaggerated pout. “I didn’t march ahead, Mr. Overprotective. You
didn’t have to smack me.”
“That was for the ‘Ozzer’ comment and you
know it,” Ozias said without apology. “Now come put your excess energy to
good use.”
As he spoke, Oz cupped Cay’s bottom and
lifted, forcing the other man to wrap his legs around Oz’s waist as he was
taken to the bed.
*****
*****
Corbin headed to the meeting room assigned
to him and those departing in Group 6. He was hard-pressed to decide
whether he was excited beyond belief to be leaving the ship and finally heading out to explore
Neveah, or still upset over being placed in the last group. He knew he
deserved the consequence Charge Seren had meted out, but that didn’t mean he
had to like it. Accept it, yes; like it, no.
When the group allocations had been sent
out, Corbin hadn’t bothered noticing who else would be in his troupe.
He’d merely confirmed he’d be among the last to leave, and then opened the
attached assignment sheet to see what tasks he was to be fulfilling while on
the first Nevean trek.
He was actually pleased with the projects
he’d been allotted. There was no agriculture involved; at least, not in
the way it had been on the ship. He was assigned to collect samplings of
any Nevean plants that could be used in potential construction. At the
end of the trek, he was to study and report his findings to Charge Seren, as
well as turn his report in to the science and agriculture teams to add to their
studies of Neveah’s naturally growing plants.
Besides that, Seren had requested that
since he had an aptitude for drawing, that he make sketches of the plants he
collected samples from, as well as work on a map that covered the area the
Travelers would be hiking. Neither of those were typical things for
Corbin to focus his drawing talents on, but he liked the challenge it provided,
as well as the ability to use skills in which he felt confident. He hoped
that doing a good job on his assignments would help Charge Seren to look more
favorably on him.
His thoughts occupied, Corbin had reached
the meeting room and wasn’t paying much mind to the others who were gathering
until a hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed with gentle strength.
“Hi, Corbin.”
Corbin knew the voice before he had turned
completely around, and he couldn’t withhold a smile. “Hi, Kel! Are
you in Group 6 too?”
The other man nodded. “Yeah, and I’m
glad because I’ll have someone to hang out with.” As he said the words,
he dropped a long arm over Corbin’s shoulders. “I had fun with you the
other night. I’m hoping you’ll be my travel buddy on the trek.”
“Really?” Corbin asked with pleased
surprise. He’d had fun hanging out with Kel the other evening too. It
had been the night after his late night meal order, and they hadn’t done much
more than talk and drink too much nectar, but it had been one of the least
stressful times that Corbin had experienced on ship…and the least lonely.
But he’d seen that Kel appeared to have a lot of friends amongst the Travelers
as the other man greeted by name almost everyone he saw, so Corbin didn’t grasp
why Kel would want to buddy up with him. “I thought you already would
have others you’d want to be with.”
Kel shrugged. “No one I think I’d
like to be with more than you,” he said casually, and without knowing that
Corbin had never had someone say something like that to him. “So,” he
continued easily as he led them to a couple chairs to sit at and wait for the
announcement that their group would be leaving. “What’s your job on the
trek? I’m cooking, in case you couldn’t figure that out.”
Corbin chuckled and proceeded to explain
the tasks he’d been assigned as well as his hopes of doing a good job for
Seren.
“Do you feel he’s holding your mistake
against you?” Kel wondered.
Corbin shrugged. “No, not
exactly. He was real pleased with my apology and even mentioned wanting
to see some of my drawing work, but then I screwed things up again.”
“How?”
“My ship Charge came in…Charge
Ozias. You know him?”
Kel nodded. “Uh-huh. Quiet guy,
but nice. He’s part of the only trio we have.”
“Yeah, well, he and I didn’t get along too
well on the trip. I didn’t like the work in the Ag unit and I guess I
showed it too strongly. He reprimanded me a few times, and then he showed
up at Charge Seren’s quarters when I was there to give the apology and I was
rude,” Corbin admitted honestly. “Charge Seren wasn’t happy about that.”
Kel ached over the sad face that showed on
the other man’s features. He felt like it clashed with the dark hair and
emerald eyes that exuded a lot of naïveté, yet sweetness.
“Buck up, lad,” he encouraged.
“Charge Seren has given you assignments for Neveah that match your talents and
your interests, so he hasn’t chosen to punish you for your slip-up with Charge
Ozias by giving you tasks you would hate. I’m sure it’s already in the
past for him, so you should put it there too.”
“Do you really think so?” Corbin
questioned, his insecurities still clinging to him.
“I do, now don’t argue with me or yourself
over silly reasons to cling to unnecessary guilt.” He grinned at
Corbin. “Or if you do, I’ll force you to clean up the mess I make when
I’m cooking. That should expunge your guilt as well as keep your hands
nice and clean.”
Corbin laughed. “Thanks, but no
thanks, Kel.”
Any more banter was interrupted over the
announcement that their team was ready to depart. The two men grinned
widely at each other, both of them more than ready to embark onto their new
homeland.
*****
Earlier that day the Travelers had
departed the ship in their groups, each moving in their individual units, close
to the other sets of twenty, but separate enough so no one felt crowded or
overwhelmed. At night though, they reconvened as one assembly. They
were still on open ground, having not yet reached the woods or mountains that
could be seen, and the area had been respectfully set up with their canvas
shelters and small fires for those on culinary duty to feed the people.
Charge Seren had directed the Travelers to get as much rest as possible, as the
next day would be filled with another long trek, and most had retired to their
shelters shortly after eating.
Amrynn, Oz, and Cay had been within their
shelter for more than an hour, but Am shifted restlessly on her sleeping mat. She was
pleasantly worn out from the day’s traveling, but her mind was on overdrive and
she’d only been half-dozing since her thoughts were occupied with all she’d
seen that day.
Neveah was beautiful. The colors of
it were so rich that sometimes she had to blink just to make sure she was
seeing things clearly: aqua green grass, water that was clear in her sample
jars, but tinted with purple when it flowed free, flowering bushes of almost
every color she could name, trees that were both similar and some completely
different from any she’d seen before, and their group had been lucky enough to
witness a handful of wildlife; just birds and insects mostly. Anything
bigger was keeping a wary distance, but Amrynn’s joy over the reality of life on this planet and the hope it
gave her kept her from any type of disappointment at not seeing anything more
exciting.
She shifted again, this time moving closer
to Oz’s warmth and smiling a little as he gave a soft snore. She glanced
across him to see if Cay was resting comfortably, and instead saw empty
space. Her smile turned to a frown. She dozed off and on but hadn’t
heard him leave, which surprised her. Her
heart fluttered with concern. While there had been no threat of anything
during the day, she was well versed in the warnings Seren had given before
their departure, as well as the real threats of danger that he’d included when
sharing the details of his initial trip onto Neveah. Not knowing where
Cay was bothered her, and she didn’t want to wait until he returned on his own.
“Oz? Oz?” she called, trying to wake
him without startling him.
“Mm?” he murmured, still mostly asleep.
“Oz, wake up. Cay isn’t with us.”
His eyes popped open and his head
automatically turned to where Cayson had been lying. “Wha…? Where’d
he go?” he asked while quickly sitting up and still sounding confused from
sleep.
Amrynn sat up next to him. “I don’t
know. I looked over and he was gone.”
“Maybe someone’s sick,” Oz suggested while
rubbing sleep from his eyes. “But he should have told us.” He
reached for his shirt and slipped it over his head. “Get dressed.
We’ll find him.”
Amrynn had already been reaching for her
own clothes. It only took a minute for them to be ready and then they
quietly left their canvas, trying not to wake others as they started to look
for their missing partner. They both saw him within moments. Cay’s
familiar silhouette was standing alone, just past the edge of camp, and looking
up at the sky.
Am and Oz joined him quietly, but not
silently as Am whispered scoldingly. “Cayson, what are you doing?
Why’d you leave?”
With a partner on either side of him, Cay
kept his gaze skyward but slipped an arm around the waist of each
partner. “Just thinking…soaking it all in,” he said in answer to her
questions. “Look at the sky,” he continued. “We spent weeks up
there, living in that space and facing its risks. We let it take us over
a million miles from home, but look…some of the same constellations that shone
in Arlytian sky can be seen here too. It makes me feel like home isn’t so
far away…like it’s going to be ok to make a new home here too,” he finished
softly.
Both Oz and Amrynn looked upward, taking
in what Cay had said and seeing for themselves the familiar constellations and
clear night sky.
After several minutes Oz moved a hand to
cup the back of Cay’s neck. His thumb caressed the skin for a moment and
tangled his fingers in the other man’s hair. His head turned and he
pressed a kiss to Cay’s temple.
“It’s all beautiful, Cay, but it’s time to
rest,” he encouraged.
Cayson nodded and turned with his husband
and wife back toward the camp and their canvas. He hadn’t gone more than
a step before a sharp sting registered on his backside and he barely bit back a
yelp. He looked first at Oz and then at Am, his mouth open in surprise
not just at the sudden sting, but at the fact that it was in two spots on his
backside because both partners had swatted him at the same time.
Amrynn’s eyes sparked, not with anger but
with resolve. “Don’t you disappear without telling us where you’re going
again, Cayson Altair!” she ordered, her voice soft but utterly serious.
Cay nodded, knowing that when Amrynn spoke
in that tone, the best thing to do was give silent acceptance. On his
other side, Oz gripped his hand and gave a familiar squeeze.
“He won’t, dearling,” Oz’s deep voice
promised. “He knows what he’s in for if he does.”
Amrynn nodded, but her resolve was still
evident and she made eye contact with her two men. “Not just him,” she
determined. “All of us. I don’t want any of us not knowing
where the other one is right now. We let each other know.”
Both men nodded at her, accepting that
rule and its consequence for all of them.
With their agreement, Amrynn’s eyes
softened and she leaned into Cay. “Thank you,” she offered softly as they
started to move once again.
A short distance away, Seren sat silently
against a rock, nearly blending into its shadow as his watchful eyes followed
the trio’s movement to their canvas until they disappeared inside. They
weren’t the only ones who had wandered a bit that night. The place where
he sat gave him a view of the Traveler’s camp and Seren had observed several
others take the opportunity of the quiet night to gaze at the stars or find
places just a little bit outside the shelters to kneel in prayer or just sit in
contemplation.
Seren understood
those desires. He felt them as well, which was why he was sitting alone
to guard his people. Charge Carter and Backer Lux would be taking over
guard duty in a few hours, but until then Seren also took advantage of the
quiet night to let his feelings of awe in this new home be dwelt on.